THERE were celebrations in Rathmore and beyond the county bounds recently as volunteers affiliated to Rathmore Social Action Group collected their deserving medals from the Gaisce President Awards Programme.

THERE were celebrations in Rathmore and beyond the county bounds recently as volunteers affiliated to Rathmore Social Action Group collected their deserving medals from the Gaisce President Awards Programme.

The result of several months of hard but rewarding work, the medals came in gold and silver and followed the successful completion of several challenges.

Indeed, gold medal recipients Barry Murphy (Cullen) and Karina Cronin (Ballydesmond) made it all the way to Dublin Castle for the gold medal ceremony where their medals were presented by President Michael D Higgins.

With just over 50 gold medals presented nationally it was a moment to savour.

"The hours these young people have put in each week in working for the community has been extraordinary, they would do several hours above and beyond the requirements of the programme," Rathmore Social Action Group President Jeremiah O'Donoghue said.

"All involved in the programme faced the challenges head on, they are great community activists who don't only do the awards, they make a huge contribution to the community, especially in relation to the care of the elderly and supervision of the youth," he added.

Rathmore Social Action Group has been involved with Gaisce for approximately 15 years and over 100 young people have received awards in that time.